It's always a good sign when the engineers who develop a car are excited to let journalists drive it. The earnest grin on Chief Engineer Mike Merlo as he discusses the development of speaks volumes, and also hints at the success of Fiat and Chrysler's entwinement. This is the first shared platform between the two. The Dart's foundation is that of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, however it's not badge engineering. Merlo's team evolved the Giulietta's architecture into what is now that Dart. The cars are significantly different, more so than the Dart being a sedan and the Giulietta a hatch. For starters the Dart is not built in Italy, but in the Belvidere, Illinois, assembly plant where the Jeep Compass and Patriot are made. And where once was built the Neon, the car to which the Dart, name aside, is a true successor.

From the look on its face, it's clear the Dart is not a happy, googly-eyed cartoon character like the Neon. Head of Dodge Exterior Design, Joe Dehner, explained that the goal was to give the car some aggression. This was achieved with a long hood, short deck and good deal of tumblehome. There are no exterior panels shared with a Giulietta, and on the interior the only borrowed part is the shift knob of the 6-speed manual transmission.

Popping open the door and sitting in the little sedan, I could see that the interior shortcomings of the previous models are gone. Sitting in the mid-level $18,995 Rallye with fingers wrapped around the leather wheel, I thought of the Honda Civic and how this domestic was about to eat a good share of its pie. And that was before I actually drove it, and discovered it may devour the entire pie.

A sweet looking black on black Rallye with unique front fascia was first on my drive route. I'd naturally gravitated to it because of its sporting trim that includes a dark front fascia and dual exhaust. Its Fiat sourced 6-speed manual and optional turbocharged 1.4-liter MultiAir engine sold me. Those in the know will recognize this engine as that available in the Fiat 500 Abarth, a seductive driveline package for any frugal minded enthusiast. It sips gasoline, but isn't lacking on performance. We didn't drive on the freeway, or some perfectly smooth race track. Instead Dodge selected a drive route outside my hometown in Sonoma County, California. Roads I'd driven in my early twenties, when I was dumber and more invincible than I am now. As it happens it rained on our drive—a lot. The twisty back roads are notoriously nauseating for passengers, and in the wet I suspected the front-wheel-drive Dart would have a hard time not understeering off the road, what with its standard economy-minded tire choice and open differential. I was wrong.

Wheel spin is minimal and the rack-mounted electric steering system is superbly tuned. Atypical of front-wheel-drive cars in the wet, the Dart is agile and tractable, even through tight corners and rising crests in the road. The steering's precision is impressive for a car at this price point, and I can't think of a more enthusiastic car in the class. I'd take this over a Civic Si, and we've not even driven the Dart R/T model yet. The 1.4-liter turbo MultiAir is surprisingly responsive and happy to rev. The whole car feels light on its feet; the controls are easy and as a package they work in complete harmony.

Helping to separate the Dart mechanically from the Giulietta is the use of die-cast aluminum subframes that are bolted rigidly to the steel unit-body. The Italian uses steel subframes. The lighter aluminum units save weight and improve rigidity. This gives tremendous feedback and solidity to the steering, but with a slight penalty in road noise and vibration. Compared to other cars in the class like the Chevrolet Cruze or Toyota Corolla, the Dart is less isolated, but not uncharacteristic of a car with a sporting disposition. It's far quieter than a Mazdaspeed3, for example.

Aside from the Rallye with the 1.4-liter turbo and 6-speed manual I so enjoyed, I sampled the base 2.0-liter non-turbo Tigershark with 6-speed automatic and found it predictably acceptable. The naturally aspirated inline-four Tigershark makes the same 160 bhp as the turbo 1.4, but produces only 145 lb.-ft. of torque that comes on slow at 4500 rpm. By contrast the turbo 1.4 belts out 184 lb-ft at 2550 rpm. It may seem as if the turbo 1.4 is all about fuel economy, but it's really the performance bargain. A larger 2.4-liter MultiAir II is available on the soon-to-follow R/T model, but without a turbo manages only 184 bhp and 174 lb.-ft. at 4800 rpm. The turbocharged 1.4-liter with MultiAir technology that can adjust intake valve lift and duration is a homerun to any buyer who wants fun and efficiency. Although not available for testing at the time of this writing, a 6-speed dual-dry-clutch automated manual transmission is going to be an option alongside the conventional 6-speed automatic. We can only hope it will perform more like the DSG in a VW than the PowerShift unit in a Ford.

The base model of the Dart is the $15,995 SE, the car with steel wheels and hubcaps. Next up the food chain is the $17,995 SXT, $18,995 Rallye and $19,995 Limited. Each steps up the interior accouterments and leather allotment, but all are equipped with ten airbags and the 2.0-liter Tigershark engine. The turbo 1.4 is an option and it's not until you get to the purportedly sporting R/T that the 2.4-liter becomes standard. Like many other small cars on the market today, there are a plethora of options to luxuriate it like a large sedan; heated steering wheel, navigation and blind spot detection are primary among them. Even without knowing the price at which the turbo 1.4 will be optioned, with the fact that it has an EPA rating of 27/39 mpg, I'm going to say it'll be worth it.